Camera blimp



Filed March 3l, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l g1/331 'l Novl` 14,1939.' w. EGLITON ET AL CAMERA BLIMP Filed March 31,

1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. 14,V 1939. W, EGLlNTON Er AL 2,179,817

CAMERA BLIMP Filed March 31, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTO WAM/AM 51.' 70A/ arrasa garanti Wiiliam Eglinton, Reseda, and ll-Iarry G. Cunningham, Los Angeles, Caiif., assigncrs to R. K. 0. Studios, Ene., a corporation o Delaware Appiieation March 31,

5 iaims.

The present invention relates to camera blimps, and more particularly to a variety thereof peculiarly adapted for use in conjunction with motion picture cameras for making talking motion pictures or other motion pictures wherein the sound is recorded simultaneously with the photographing of the picture.

The .invention involves a novel wall construction fora carriera blimp as Well as a novel mechanical construction for the accessories appended to the outside thereof and suchl attachments as are required to actuate the camera therewithin without opening the section of the blimp which is fastened by clamps. This application is closely related to the application of Harry-G. Cunningham, filed March 31, 1936, Serial No. 71,823, entitled Camera ad justing mechanism, pertaining to a novel apparatus for focussing the lens of a camera enclosed within a blimp.

One vobject of the present invention is to pro-,- vide a camera blimp which is as nearly soundproof as is commercially practicable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blimp wherein the belt drive to the film takeup reel is readily accessible.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device in which the drive motor for the camera is readily accessible.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device wherein the entire camera is readily accessible for inspection or adjustment. Another object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism wherein the necessary portions of the camera are readily accessible for lm reloading and threading. Another object of the invention is to provid such a mechanism wherein each of the controls of the camera can be actuated from the exterior of the blimp with the same ease as a camera without a blimp.

In general the objects of our invention may be summarized as the provision of a camera blimp Within which the camera may be mounted with the same accuracy and operated withV the same facility as it would be mounted and operated if no such device were appended thereto.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view from the rear right-hand corner of o blimp as applied to a camera.

Figure 2 is a view'from the .left-hand side thereof.

Figure 3 is a detailed section of the construc-v tion at one oi the lower corners of the device. Figure 4 is a typical way section and E936, Serial No. 71,854

Figure 5 is a perspective-detail of the control mechanism at the rear of the blimp.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1: The housing l0 of the blimp is composed of a composite material shown in more detail in Fig. 4 5 and formed to an appropriate conguration containing all the mechanical elements of the camera. This casing is made in several sections, the two main sections thereof being divided along the line H and secured together when in operative l0 position by appropriate clamps I2. The larger portion of the casing i3 is aixed to a base plate tl by screws i5 and this'base plate in turn is supported upon the customary tripod of any conventional type i6. This tripod is, of course, prol5 vided with any usual type of -mechanism for manipulating a camera without a blimp which is equally applicable to a camera enclosed in the device of our invention. The belt to the take-up reel is customarily located at the top of a motion 2o picturecamera and is readily accessible through the door i1 which is secured by the handle. l and the clamp i9 and the reel pulley is visible through the window 26 in the door i1 when it is closed.

The camera motor 2i is similarly readily accessible by opening the door 22 secured by the clamp 23 which is actuated by the handle 24. The upper portion of the left-hand side of the housing is secured to the main portion i3 by a hinge 25. The lower portion of the left-hand side of the housing is similarly secured to the upper portion by hinge 26 (Figure 2) which is secured in closed position by a clamp attached to the handle 27. A finder 28 is provided and secured to the left-hand side of the device in the relation to the 35 camera in which a flnder is ordinarily secured. As shown in detail in Fig. 2, this finder is made in two sections, hinged at 29, permitting the rear portion of the finder to be folded to the position indicated at 3D in this gure so that the lower left-hand portion of the casing 3l may be opened without interference from the nder. The forward portion 32 of the finder is secured to the blimp by means allowing for appropriate adjustment thereof to correct for parallax between the nder and the optical axis of the camera.V

The front of the blimp is provided with appropriate supporting means 33 for guiding a supporting mechanism 35 which is adapted to adjustably support a mask box 35 of any usual or 50 convenient kind. This mask box is laterally adjustable by means of the link 36 and is rotatable by means of the clamp-screw 3l. The lens of the camera is xed by means of the knob 39 which is connected many eprqropriatejnanner to the lens of the camera and which is'alsovconnected to a focussing scale 40 from which the operator may ascertain the focal adjustment oi the lens. A mirror 4l is provided which, when swung into proper position, permits the operator to view the scale 40 convenient to the several controls thereof. Such `a scale or multiplicity oi' scales, corresponding to an equivalent'number of lenses, is used to register the focus o' the lens system in feet.

An appropriate mechanism for concurrently adjusting the lens, the scale and the finder is rie-- scrid and claimed in the aforesaid concurrently iiled application Serial No. 71,823 but any equivalent mechanism or other appropriate mechanism may be used which is capable of accomplishing the aforesaid adjustments.

The frame of the blimp is composed of appropriate steel members -to which is welded a skeleton of wire mesh Eli (Fig. e). This skeleton is lined with a layer of rubber di and with an inner lining of felt 52. The interstices of the skeleton are lled with acoustic plaster and it is then covered with a layer of felt 53, a layer of rubber S4, a further layer of felt 55, a further layer of rubber 55 and another layer of felt 5l and finally I5 in a peculiar and eective manner to prevent l communication of vibration to the tripod. The body of the camera support 60 carrying ways 6i for the camera' is secured to a metallic member 62 while the further metallic member 83 is seg cured to the base. An additional metallic element 64 corresponding in configuration to the spaces between the elements 62 and 63 is located mid-way between them and a layer of rubber is interposed between the oase Id and the member 54 and also between the member t3 and the member 64 while a similar layer of rubber is interposed between the member-6B and the camera supporting base 6B and the member 62, these rubber layers being indicated at 55.

The several control elements for the camera may be briefly described as follows:

The buttons 15 and 16 are used to insert'appropriete filter glasses before the lm in the camera. For example, the button 15 may be pressed to insert a panchromatic lter, and the button 16 for a blue filter.

The buttons 11 and 18 control the dissolve mechanism of the' camera, 11 controlling the dissolve inand 18 the "dissolve out.

The knob 19 is rotatable to control the shuttersetting of the camera.

The knob 80, as shown in Fig. 5, controls the magnication of the focussing device of the camera through the gears B5 and 86 and the rack 81.

The handle 82, which is latched by the button 8l,'rotates the pinion 89 which coects with the rack ad to move the camera laterally from the taking position to the focussing position and vice versa.

We claim:

i. in a camera blimp having sound-prooi walls,

an upper portion of said bli'rnp adapted to house a plurality oi' film reels and the driving means therefor, a door in said portion adapted to provide access to said driving means, a second door in said portion adapted to provide access to said reels, a second lower portion of said blimp housing said camera, said second portion having a. door providing access to said camera, saidvdoor of said second portion being hinged to said second door of said rst-mentioned portion, and a third portion of said hlimp housing a motor for said camera, said third portion' having a door therein adapted to permit removal of said motor.

2. in a camera blimp having a sound-proof Wall, a lower portion oi said blimpy adapted to house a camera and the motor therefor, a door to permit removal of said camera and a second door to permit removal of said motor, an

upper portion of said biimp adapted to house the lm reels for said camera, said upper mrtion having a door to provide access to said film reels, said door being hinged to said camera door to provide an unobstructed access to said camera when said doors are swung upwardly, and a second door to provide access solely to the driving means for said reels.

3. In a camera blimp having a sound-proof wall of soft outside material, an upper portion divided along a vertical plane into two sections. one of said sections being fixed and the other of said sections being adapted to be moved to obtain access to the interior of said portion, a' lower portion divided along a vertical plane into one iixed section and one movable section and adapted to house a camera and motor therefor, said fixed lower section being integral with said upper xed section and, said lower movable section being hinged to said upper movable section to provide unobstructed access to the camera.

4. A camera blimp in accordance with claim 3 in which said lower and upper portions have rounded corners in substantially al1 plane thereof.

5. In a camera blimp having a sound-proof wall comprising an upper elongated circular portion, a lower substantially rectangular portion, all

WILLIAM EGLINTON. HARRY G. CUNNINGHAM. 

